When it comes to Linux clusters, mainframes have long drawn the largest acclaim. Now, though, scientific and technical imaging specialists such as Paradigm and Electro-Optical Sciences (EOS) are praising the gains they're seeing from Linux clusters on PC servers, even without blades.

According to Mark Melenovsky, an IDC analyst, these two IBM customers represent a couple of industry trends particularly visible over the past year: a move to Linux-based PC servers, and the rise of blade servers.